Monday, March 11, 2024

Jita New Testaments printed and shipped!


The Jita New Testaments have all been printed and loaded onto a cargo ship. They're on their way to Tanzania right now. 

Watch the video here:  https://youtu.be/XkYqpI2sbcs

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Ngoreme Luke celebration!

 

At the end of last year, Ben typeset the Gospel of Luke in the Ngoreme language of Tanzania. This was the first book of Scripture ever published in the Ngoreme language. The Ngoreme people were so excited about having God's Word in their language that they threw a party to celebrate the event. Watch the video here:

Ngoreme Luke Celebration


Friday, December 8, 2023

Merry Christmas to the Isenye and Ngoreme people of Tanzania!

Isenye translators holding the book of Matthew

We're so thankful that the Isenye people of Tanzania now have the book of Matthew in their own language.
AND...
Ngoreme translator holding the book of Luke

The Ngoreme people have the book of Luke in their own language!

Ben had the privilege of typesetting both of those books and overseeing their publication. It was a special project for him because exactly one year ago, he typeset the Christmas stories in these languages. He typeset the Christmas story from Matthew in Isenye, and he typeset the Christmas story from Luke in Ngoreme. People loved reading and hearing about the birth of Jesus in their own language.

Since then, more and more people are learning how to read, and people are excited to have more Scripture published in their language. So it was a huge blessing for Ben to be able to typeset these complete books of the Bible in these languages. Now the books have been printed and delivered just in time for Christmas this year. Now the Isenye people and the Ngoreme people can read the rest of the story about Jesus. He's not only God who took on flesh and was born as a baby. He's also the King and Savior who died on the cross and rose again from the dead to rescue us from our sins and reconcile us to a right relationship with God.

Please pray that the Isenye and Ngoreme people will be transformed when they read God's Word in their own language.

For those of you who are partnering with us in this ministry, God is using you to bring his Word to the people of Tanzania. Thank you for your partnership in the gospel. We appreciate you!

If you'd like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, check out our Wycliffe web page here:

Merry Christmas!!

Love,
Ben and Jeannette




Friday, November 17, 2023

Simbiti Genesis

Hi everybody, I want to introduce you to a friend of ours from Tanzania. His name is Waynse. Waynse is from the Simbiti people group. Here's a picture of our family with Waynse and his wife Lucy. 



Waynse is a pastor and he also worked with us on the Simbiti translation of the Bible. After Waynse finished translating the New Testament, he also translated the book of Genesis. I had the great privilege of typesetting the book of Genesis in the Simbiti language. Now the books have been printed and delivered and here’s pastor Waynse holding his very own copy of the book of Genesis in his language, the Simbiti language. 



Pastor Waynse is so excited to have the book of Genesis in Simbiti because now he can preach from the book of Genesis and people will be able to understand him. Not only that, people can follow along in their own copies now that it's been printed. Just the other day, Pastor Waynse told me a great story about how God is using his Word among the Simbiti people. Pastor Waynse was preaching at a funeral, and he read portions of the book of Genesis in the Simbiti language. There was a man in the crowd who doesn't attend church, but when he heard God's Word in his own language, he was so overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that he decided on the spot that he would start attending that church, because he wanted to hear more of God's Word in his own language.
  That's the power of having God's Word in the heart language of the people. And think about this, if you are partnering with us in this ministry, then God is using you to bring his Word to the Simbiti people of Tanzania. Thank you for your support, your prayers, and your partnership. 


If you would like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, check out our Wycliffe web page here. 

https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2ebefb


Thanks again!


Tuesday, November 7, 2023

The Jita New Testament has been sent to the printer!

Hi friends,

We have big news about the Jita translation project. The Jita New Testament has been sent off to the printer. Finally, after more than 10 years in the making, we sent it off. It's a weird feeling, honestly. We've been working on this thing basically every day for over 10 years. So to send it off was bittersweet. On the one hand, we want this thing printed so that Jita people can read it and enjoy it. But on the other hand, we're asking ourselves, did we do enough? Is it ready? Should we check it over one last time? 

It's been a good process for us to surrender this project to God. Because think about it, this is God's Word, this is God's translation project, these are God's people, and we are God's servants. So we can trust that the Jita New Testament is in God's sovereign hands, and we know that he will use his Word to transform people's lives. 

Please keep praying with us. Pray that the books would be printed accurately and beautifully. Pray that the books would be shipped safely and arrive safely in Tanzania. And pray that God would be preparing people's hearts even now to receive his Word. Thank you again for your partnership with us in bringing the New Testament to the Jita people. We couldn't have done this without you. 

Thank you!!

Friday, September 29, 2023

In the beginning...Kabhumba!



 Hi friends,

I have some good news for you! I finished typesetting the book of Acts in the Bende language of Tanzania. The books were printed and delivered, and people are so excited to have another portion of Scripture in their own language. 



As I was typesetting the book, I noticed the word for "God" in the Bende language. I love finding out how other languages translate the word "God" because it's such an important concept. For example, the Jita word for God is Nyamuwanga, and it's related to the word for life, so it brings the idea that God is the living God and the one who gives life.

But in the Bende language, the word for God is...Kabhumba. That's so cool!! I'm excited for the day when they translate the book of Genesis,

"In the beginning, Kabhumba created the heavens and the earth."

Thankfully, they now have the book of Acts so they can enjoy Acts 10:39-40 about the death and resurrection of Jesus,

"They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but Kabhumba raised him from the dead on the third day."

I'm so thankful that the Bende people now have access to another portion of God's Word in their language. And think about this: if you're partnering with us, you have a part in bringing God's Word to the Bende people. Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry!


{If you would like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, check out our Wycliffe web page here:  https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB}





Friday, July 21, 2023

Celebrate the Ikoma New Testament!

 

Praise the Lord for the arrival of the New Testament in the Ikoma language of Tanzania! Ikoma is one of the language groups that Ben worked with in Tanzania. Here's Ben with the Ikoma translators: Muya and Mussa.

Hundreds of Ikoma people showed up to celebrate the arrival of the New Testament.

There were speeches, prayers, choirs, and traditional dances.

We rejoice that the Ikoma people can now read and enjoy God's Word in their own language.

Thank you again for partnering with us in bringing God's Word to the people of Tanzania! 

If you would like to join our team as a prayer and financial partner, visit our Wycliffe web page here: https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/2EBEFB



Photos by R.Meszaros, K.Grindall, A.Kamphuis